Auburn injury updates: Philip Lutzenkirchen's injury built over time, Avery Young undergoes surgery

Offensive tackle Avery Young (56) at football practice Friday August 10, 2012 in Auburn, Ala. (The Birmingham News, Hal Yeager)

AUBURN, Alabama -- Both tight end Philip Lutzenkirchen and right tackle Avery Young have been knocked out for the season by injuries that kept progressively getting worse until neither player could continue.

Young has already undergone surgery that will likely keep him out four to five months.

Chizik declined to reveal any details of either player's injury, although Lutzenkirchen confirmed on Twitter Saturday that it was a hip injury.

"He tried to play through it, he tried to tough it out and the whole deal, but it just got to the point where it was no longer good for anybody for him to try to continue to play," Auburn head coach Gene Chizik said.

Young had been battling a nagging injury that worsened last week and forced him to have a surgery.

"Built over time, and really and truly, almost kind of like Philip's deal, built over time, built over time and then, you know, there's that one event that happens, and they just can't push through it, they can't go anymore," Chizik said.

Chizik also mentioned that Lutzenkirchen's grandmother passed, and that the tight end left from the game with his family.

** During Auburn's final offensive drive, defensive end Dee Ford was taken to the locker room with a trainer. Ford's injury forced him into a limited capacity on Saturday. "We went into the game feeling like we were going to be somewhere around 15 plays, 10-15 plays," Chizik said. "A lot is going to be depend on how the week unfolds with him and how much progress he makes."

** Defensive tackle Jeff Whitaker was a game-time decision, and it was determined that Whitaker could not play. "We hope we get him back this week," Whitaker said. "Hopefully he can get enough progress made so that he can be back on the field Saturday."

** Safety Erique Florence and running back Mike Blakely are both facing injuries, despite rumors that the two had left the team. Chizik reiterated that both players did not make the trip and said that Florence and Blakely are both in good standing.